"Free PDF Editor - Top 6 Best Free PDF Editors for 2024 Update"

PDF files have become an industry standard for digital information exchange. They have emerged as the ideal document format for electronic document distribution and disseminating digital information online. An increasing number of e-books, product descriptions, corporate announcements, web materials, and emails are utilizing PDF files. PDF offers several advantages that set it apart from other electronic document formats. The PDF file format encapsulates text, fonts, formatting, colors, and device- and graphics-independent imagery within a single file. It also allows for the inclusion of electronic elements like hypertext links, sounds, and dynamic images. Furthermore, it supports highly integrated and secure files with high reliability. This versatility and security make PDF the go-to choice for various purposes, ensuring consistency in presentation across different devices and platforms, and preserving the original layout and design of the content.

Many times, you can open and edit PDF files using a free PDF reader. However, it's not easy to find a genuinely free PDF editor that lets you review and annotate your work, convert PDFs to Word/Excel/PPT, sign your name, insert images, and so on. Below, we've compiled a list of the top five best free PDF editors for 2020 to assist you. These editors offer various features, with some having explicit limitations on functionality, and others being online PDF editors that don't have all the features of desktop programs. Read through carefully and select the one that suits your needs the most.

#1 - Soda PDF: A Top Choice

Soda PDF is the top recommendation for the best free PDF editor of 2020. It's a dependable, feature-rich, and portable PDF solution that can be utilized on your computer or any mobile device with an internet browser. This user-friendly software enables you to easily and flexibly edit PDF documents using its excellent features. The free trial version can handle all your basic PDF editing tasks, as outlined below.

• Create PDFs from any printable file format, including from clipboard, scanner, and web page
• Convert one or more PDFs to Word, PPT, Excel, Image, HTML, TXT, RTF
• Modify all contents in your PDF files
• Merge PDF files effortlessly - combine multiple files into a single PDF
• Split large PDF documents into smaller sections for individual reading
• Insert images, page numbers, links, watermark, header, and footer
• Review, comment, and annotate your PDF with various shapes
• Access your features online on any device

Soda PDF comes in two editions: Home and Premium. The Premium version offers great value for its cost. The distinction between the two editions lies in the more advanced features supported by the latter. For instance, it includes the new E-Sign service for creating and managing digital signatures, editing confidential information within your PDFs, and crafting personalized digital forms, among other capabilities.

Pros:

• The price is the most affordable for the paid version
• It boasts exceptional OCR functionality
• The user interface is highly intuitive, as straightforward as using Microsoft Word
• It supports the security and signature features for PDFs
• Unlimited free version upgrades are provided

Cons:

Individual users only get a 14-day free trial.

Price: The Premium edition is only priced at $35.97.

System Support: Soda is compatible with all Windows platforms and can be utilized on both desktop and mobile devices.

#2 - Adobe Reader DC: Best PDF Viewer

The PDF file format is an electronic document format developed by Adobe. Adobe Acrobat has traditionally been the go-to choice for opening and viewing PDFs. The Adobe Acrobat Reader DC is the industry benchmark when it comes to editing PDFs, allowing you to not only view but also print, sign, and annotate PDFs with the free Adobe Acrobat Reader DC. However, if you wish to perform more advanced tasks like creating PDFs, exporting PDFs to Word or Excel, securing PDFs with passwords, or generating signatures, you will need to subscribe to Acrobat Pro DC.

Pros:

1. The world's top PDF editing tools 2. The free global standard for viewing and annotating PDFs 3. Enable PDF collaboration with Acrobat Reader mobile app

Cons:

• It might be the most costly PDF editor available
• Restricted functionality for obtaining signatures in Acrobat Reader DC version

Price: It costs $179.88 when paid as a one-time fee, or $14.99 per month for the subscription.

System Support: Available for both Windows and macOS.

#3 - JotForm PDF Editor: Customization Made Easy

JotForm PDF Editor stands out as a fantastic alternative among numerous PDF editors available, as it introduces automation to streamline time-consuming daily tasks. Equipped with functionalities for invoice and contract creation & formatting, this editor frees up significant time, thereby enhancing productivity. What sets it apart from other PDF editors is its capability to gather data through online forms, automatically converting it into professionally designed PDF documents in mere seconds.

Pros:

• Diverse integrations, encompassing tools like: Google Drive, Zoom, Slack, and more
• Over 600 pre-built PDF templates adaptable to your requirements
• Signature widgets for effortless collection of electronic signatures from customers
• Seamless document collaboration
• Cost-free usage
• Drag & drop builder for user-friendly design
• Hugely customizable

Cons:

1. The free plan has limitations. 2. Restricted form creation and submission counts in the free plan. 3. An abundance of widgets and integrations might be overwhelming.

Price: Forever Free to use with certain limitations, Bronze package: $24/month, Silver Package: $29/month, Gold Package: $79/month.

System Support: It is compatible with both Windows and Mac systems.

#4 - Nitro Pro: Excellent Alternative to Adobe Acrobat

If you're searching for an alternative to Adobe Acrobat, Nitro Pro is an excellent option. Similar to other top-tier PDF editors, Nitro Pro lets you effortlessly create, convert, edit, and review PDF documents with speed and ease. Additionally, the Nitro PDF editor allows you to fill in, sign, and protect your PDF files. It offers three distinct versions to cater to various user requirements: Basic, Team, and Enterprise.

Pros:

• Extremely user-friendly interface to guarantee effortless usage
• Seamless integration with popular cloud storage applications
• Unrestricted eSignature requests

Cons:

• The Basic version does not include ticket submission functionality.
• Users are offered a 14-day free trial for the Basic version, but it comes with restricted features.

Price: $128 for individuals or businesses with fewer than 20 users. For teams or enterprise users, it's significantly more expensive.

System Support: It can operate on Windows XP/7/8/10.

#5 - Sejda PDF Editor: A Free Online PDF Editor

Sejda PDF Editor provides both web and desktop applications to assist users in viewing and redacting PDF documents. Its free online PDF editor is highly popular due to its user-friendly and impressive features. It enables you to edit PDFs easily, such as converting a PDF to Word, converting PDF to JPG, merging PDF files, removing pages from PDF, typing on a PDF, compressing a PDF, and reducing PDF file size. In addition to the basic features of the online version, the desktop edition also allows you to add signatures to PDF files, insert comments and links in PDFs, create fillable PDF forms, and more.

Pros:

1. Open PDF files directly from a website 2. Edit existing text in PDF without inserting a watermark 3. Operate within the web browser, no downloading required

Cons:

• Limited to PDFs with fewer than 200 pages
• PDF files cannot exceed 50MB in size
• Less secure compared to other desktop PDF editors
• OCR (Optical Character Recognition) is not supported in the online version

Price: Sejda PDF Editor provides three purchase plans for personal use: Web Week Pass ($5), Web Monthly ($7.5), and Desktop+ Web Annual ($63).

System Support: Edit PDFs offline using Sejda Desktop for Windows and Mac.

#6 - Foxit PhantomPDF: A Capable Acrobat Alternative

Editor is another excellent alternative to Adobe Acrobat for PDF document creation and management. It enables you to edit PDF files on both Windows and macOS systems. Its features encompass creating and editing PDF documents and fillable forms, rearranging pages, inserting headers/footers/watermarks, exporting PDFs, and converting paper documents into editable and searchable PDFs for a paperless environment. In addition to editing capabilities, it offers effective PDF management post-publication. This includes sharing content, integrating with ECMs and cloud storage, safeguarding your information wherever your documents are, and more.

Pros:

• OCR function is embedded
• Comes bundled with PhantomPDF Online, providing many similar capabilities
• Boasts the same features as other excellent products

Cons:

• Users only get a 14-day free trial
• The trial version has limited features
• It's a little bit expensive

Price: $129 for Standard, $159 for Business, $129 for the Mac version

System Support: It supports both Windows and Mac systems.

Wrap Up

The above information details the top five best free PDF editing software that we have compiled for you. We have extensively discussed the product introduction, features, pros and cons, pricing, and system compatibility. We trust that you can now make an informed decision based on your actual needs and preferences, whether you favor online software or are looking for a cost-effective tool. If you seek our recommendation, the first option is a wise choice.

PDF has now emerged as the preferred document format for business transactions, encapsulating significant and confidential content. To safeguard your data from potential loss, we highly recommend implementing regular backups. Should you accidentally delete your PDF, experience hard drive formatting, or face a virus attack leading to loss of your document, promptly employ Data Recovery Wizard tool - a top-tier and professional data recovery software to effectively retrieve your lost information.